Through-rail diamond



H. A. COULTER.

THROUGH RAIL DIAMOND.

APPLICANON man Ams. 1919.

Patented June 29, 1920.

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THROUGH RAIL DIAMOND.

AP R. 9v 9. 1 ,344,866-.- Patented June 29, 1920.

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UNITED STATES HpGII ALEXANDER COULTER, or wINNIPEeNANIToBA, CANADA, AssIGNoR To W. M. MACPHAII. AND M. J. K. ALLEN, BOTH or WINNIPEG, MANIToEA,

CANADA.

THROUGH-RAIL DIAMOND.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 1920.

Application filed April 9, 1919. Serial No. 2 885674.

To all who/nt it, may' concern Be it known that I, HUGH ALEXANDER COULTER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of lVnnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, have invented-certain new and useful Improvements in Through-Rail Diamonds, of which the following is the specification.

The invention relates to improvements in through rail diamonds for railroad purposes and the principal object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed easily operated, positive and easily installed diamond which can be manipulated to connect intersecting tracks asv occasion may demand. l

A further object of the invention is to arrange the construction of the diamond so that all rails are amply supported and ballasted and a still further and important object is to arrange the diamond such that there will be nohammering at the juncture of the diamond rails with the main track rails, the connection at these points being' designed to continuously carry the tread of the wheel in passingrfrom rail to rail.

Vith the above more important objectsin view the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly described and later pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which z- Figure 1 represents a plan view of my diamond as installed at the intersection of two main line tracks meeting at right angles.

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the track and diamond at X-X Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of part of the diamond.

Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the beams orting the bed plate.

supp l 41g. 5 represents an enlarged detailed sec#` tional view through the diamond at Yf-Y Fig. 1.

Fig. 6l represents ,a modified form of the diamond as utilized formain line tracks intersecting at an angle less than a right angle..

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. y

1 and 2 represent ytwo main line tracks in-` tersecting at right angles in Fig. `1 and otherwise in Fig. 6 and provided :at their intersecting point with my through rail dia mond indicated generally by the reference numeral 3. 45, 6 and 7 represent the rails of the tracks 1 and 2 approaching the diamond, while those 8, 9, 10 and 11 represent the rails of the tracks 1 and 2 passing away from the diamond. All of these rails are carried by the usual ties 12 and it is here to be noticed .that the said rails terminate at the points'indicated at 13, which points are located somewhat away from the diamond and will connect with other rails, shortly described.

The diamond is supported by an under beam structurele..which comprises side and end beams 15 and 16, intersecting corner beams 17 and 18 and intervening brace beams 19. As will be observed in Fig. 2, this beam structure is at a lower elevation than the ordinary ties and on it I mount ra metallic bed plate 2,0 which carries a flat lying disk 21 pivotally secured centrally to the bed plate by an upstanding king pin 22. The corners of the bed plate are built up as indicatedk at 23to bring the upper face of the bed plate 'at the corners flush with the upper face of the` disk.

`'Ihevtop face of the disk and the upper face of the built up part of the bed plate are containedy in the horizontal plane which contains the bases of the approaching and passing away main line rails, or in other words, they are contained in the sa'lneplane as the upper faces of the ties 12.

The corners of the bedv plate carry four similar lead rails 24. cast or otherwise permanently secured to the bed plate and each comprising two lrail sections 25 and 26 lo,- cated at right angles one to the other, joined at their inner end as shown at 27 and having such inner end overhanging the disk 21. These lead rails are positioned in respect to the track rails such that they form a continuation of the track rails approaching the diamondand here it lis tobe noted that 4the inner or jointed ends all have bearing 0n the bed plate, while vthe outer ends extend beyond the bed plate, rest on the ties 12 and butt the main rails'at the points 13.

0n the disk 21 I mount a pair o f equal. length standard Vgaged connecting rails 28 and 29 which havel their ends cut at a sharp angle 'as indicated at 30 and are arranged such that when the disk is turned they can be brought into connection with the lead rails and consequently the main track rails.

In Fig. l the connecting rails are shown in the position which they occupy when connecting the main line rails of the track 2 and here I wish to point out that the inner jointed ends of the lead rails are cut at an angle as indicated at 27 'complementary to the angle ot cut at theends of the connection rails 28 and 29.

By constructing the meeting ends of the lead and connecting rails Vin this way I provide, comparatively speaking, a long angular joint at all points where the rails meet, with the result that the treads of the passing train wheels are supported at all times on a ridingsurface, actually riding from one rail. to the other over the long joint and not abruptly passing from one rail to the other as would occur with a vright angled joint. This obviates all hammering and provides a smooth riding connection. Further, by arranging the diamond in this way, one can turn the disk to connect through either of the main line tracks as by turning the disk through a right angle the connectA ing rails 28 and 29 are alined with the proper approaching rails to make the through Connection.

Any suitable means, as experience dictates, can be utilized for positively turning the disk the required quarter turn and locking it in the turned position. In the present instance I have shown the edge of the disk as provided with rack teeth 3l, which teeth are designed to engage with the teeth of a rackbar `32 slidably mounted on the hed plate and connected in any suitable manner such as by an operating rod 33 with the signal tower.

This latter operating device is only herein shown to make it clear how the diamond can be operated to bring the connecting rails to a through connecting position with either one or other of the mainl track rails and I do not desire to be limited to the operating-device shown as this will have to conform to existing railroad practice.

In connection with the'under structure 1.4, it will be noticed that the outer and angularly disposed corner beams give ample support to the bed plate, while the beams 19 support the connecting rails in their working position they are placed to lie directly vbeneath the connecting rails when the said connecting rails are in the through rail position.

In the modilied form of structure shown in' Fig. 6, wherein the intersecting tracks intersect atan angle less than a right angle, it will be seen that the diamond is somewhat larger and that the under support tor the bed, plate comprises a plurality of ties 34e considerably longer than the ordinaryties 'and passingacross the full Width of the bed plate. Further, it will be observed, and this owing to the very nature of the intersection, that the lead rails take a somewhat different form although they are still Ypermanently secured to the bed plate and overhang, so to speak', the disk and have their outer ends resting on the main line ties and continuous with the main line tracks. In this modification the angle at the joint between the connection rails and the lead rails, as indicated at 35, is somewhat less than that of the previous form but none the less the angle is sufficient such that the passing wheels ride the joint without hammering.

I have indicated the lead rails in Fig. 6 by the reference numerals 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 4:1, and it will here be observed that those 36 and 39 comprise two rail sections with their inner ends jointed together, While the rails 37, 38, 40 and 4l are distinct and are not jointed but open ended, this by reason of their angular position at the diamond.

In either form of diamond it will be apparent that the through connection can be readily and positively made with the respective main line tracks and that in both instances angular joints appear in all working positions of the diamond at the point where the connectingr rails meet with the lead rails, this providing at all times of a smooth running wheel and obviating unnecessary wear and tear on thetrack.

That I claim as my invention is l. The combination with intersecting main line rails, of a through rail diamond interposed at the intersection of the main line rails and comprising a stationary bed plate, a disk pivotally mounted on the bed plate and countersnnk in the vupper face thereof, lead rails permanently secured to the bed `plate and having their outer ends extending from the bed plate and communieating with the main line rails and their inner ends overhanging the disk and cut at an angle other than a right angle, a pair of connecting rails permanently mounted on the disk and having their ends cut complementary to the inner ends of the lead rails with which they are designed to connect and means for turning the disk to brim.r the connecting rails into through rail position with thelead rails.

2. The combination with intersecting main line rails. of a through rail diamond interposed at the intersection `of the main line rails and comprising an under beam structure,y a bed plate permanently mounted on the beam structure, a disk pivotally mounted on the upper face of the bed plate and countersunk` in the face thereof, a plurality of lead rails permanently secured to the bed plate and having their outer ends extending beyond `the bed lplate and continuous with the main line rails und their connecting rails into through rail position inner ends ovm-hanging the disk and out at an angle other` than a right angle, a pan' of connecting rails permanently secured to the disk and with their ends cut at an angle complementary to the inner ends of the lead rails and means for turning the disk a predetermined distance to bring the with the lead rails.

Signed at Vinnpeg, this 21 day of Febl'uary, 1919.

HUGH ALEXANDER COULTER. In the presence of- G. S. ROXBAUGH, K. B. WAKEFIELD. 

